Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop by Rebecca Raisin

Rebecca Raisin returns to the blog with a story all about finding yourself and reframing your dreams in

Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop

Imagine coming home from yet another multiple hour shift in the restaurant where you’ve cooked, settled differences and have hopes to celebrate your birthday and make it special, only to find your partner arriving hours later with a “we need to talk” face on, and no present or recognition. If you are Rosie, you’re busy making excuses for the husband who isn’t ‘a details guy’ as you try not to face plant in the ‘celebration tart’ you made after work just to have a quiet celebration. And that ‘talk’ is about his finding someone who is more ‘spontaneous’ and less controlled, and wants to talk – at one in the morning – about ‘splitting up “ the household built over the last seven years. Devastating isn’t it. This was Rosie’s birthday – as she spent the night in self-recrimination, drinking wine and stumbling to work the next morning at ‘stupid o’clock’ only to discover that EVERYONE already knew about his affair, and you’ve not got the energy or ambition to deal with the whispers or gossip. And it’s then you decide that you need to chuck it all in, after having made a drunken purchase of an RV, and found an on line community of “travelers’” who live in said RV’s and move from place to place as the mood takes them – some working the ‘fair circuit’ peddling wares. You’ve already got a set of skills with your years in the kitchen, and your own tea blending hobby – and soon you are packing up and heading out after suggestions from the on line community.

Such was the introduction to Rosie – a planner with more than her own share of OCD, and a worst-case scenario imagination all fueling her lack of confidence. Driving the fuchsia colored RV (Poppy) s difficult enough, but with a map, schedule, rough plan and some vague plan about ‘what’s next’ – Rosie heads off to her first (and perhaps last) new opportunity, only to arrive with flair – nearly running over a fellow RVer, a flat tire and mud puddle being the “hello moment”. Fortunately, Rosie meets Aria – owner of her own little RV and a plan – she owns the “Little Bookshop of Happily Ever Afters” a romance enthusiasts bookshop that is so cluttered in all the best ways (only bookie-people get that) it makes Rosie twitch. But, Aria is not only friendly but a bit of a force-of-nature, befriending and mentoring her all in one. Soon (as in the first hours) she and Rosie have planned to travel together and combine their shops – with Rosie’s tea blends and Aria’s books, they have a marketing niche that is both unique and wonderful. And, when you add in Rosie’s ability to bake those “favorites’ – real food that comforts and satisfies: the plan is starting to come together.

More importantly than what’s on the menu is Rosie and dealing with her grief from the breakup, her reluctance to try new things, and her need to have a plan A, B, C and “just in case”. Understandable really as she is still holding onto guilt from her own relationship with her father – who descended into hoarding and tried to fill his own sadness and emptiness with ‘things’, and the young Rosie couldn’t help, and her reaction was to ‘overthink every move, over organizing her life and making no steps without contingency plans. But, some challenges from Aria, the new world opening up as she meets and sees the little community of :nomads’ and their willingness to stop and breathe, and an unexpected analysis from a woman on the circuit, not to mention two intriguing men, Rosie’s own confidence along with the ability to focus allow her to find new potential and dreams with a life that isn’t so structured and controlled. Honestly – it was the growth, the timid to more-daring and less tense Rosie that was a wonderful surprise – and those moments – from laugh out loud to wanting to just sit and drink those teas that had me tearing through this book, reading it all in one quick sitting. Of course, I can’t wait to put a copy on the shelf for one of those days when I really need a read that takes me away and makes me smile – this book is that antidote to cold weather, reading blahs or just when you want to escape into a truly feel-good story that can’t help but make your heart sing in all the best ways! It’s a favorite read for 2019 – and I’ve decided that I can’t go wrong with a book from Rebeca Raisin when I just want to be happily entertained for hours!

A swanky job as a Michelin-Starred Sous Chef, a loving husband and future children scheduled for exactly January 2021.

That’s until she comes home one day to find her husband’s pre-packed bag and a confession that he's had an affair.

Heartbroken and devastated, Rosie drowns her sorrows in a glass (or three) of wine, only to discover the following morning that she has spontaneously invested in a bright pink campervan to facilitate her grand plans to travel the country.

Now, Rosie is about to embark on the trip of a lifetime, and the chance to change her life! With Poppy, her new-found travelling tea shop in tow, nothing could go wrong, could it…?

A laugh-out-loud novel of love, friendship and adventure! Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Holly Martin.

A copy of this title was provided via Publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

About Rebecca Raisin

Rebecca Raisin is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She’s been published in various short story anthologies and in in fiction magazines, and is now focusing on writing romance.

Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships, and most importantly believe in true lov